Mr WETTENHALL (23 April 2009) (4.40 pm): I rise to participate in the debate on the
Vegetation Management (Regrowth Clearing Moratorium) Bill 2009. I support this bill and wish to briefly touch on a couple of issues. The member for Mundingburra has mentioned the importance of the Great Barrier Reef not only to locals and their lifestyle but also to employment, with the Great Barrier Reef being the single biggest attractor for tourism to Queensland and important particularly to North Queensland and tropical North Queensland.

Millions of visitors come to Queensland every year specifically to go to the Great Barrier Reef. What the scientists have told us over and over again with emerging consensus is that pollution runoff from damaging farm practices is damaging our reef. We must take urgent action to protect our greatest natural asset and our biggest tourism drawcard.

Like all important debates, this is a debate about balancing rights and applying what I believe we must apply which is a precautionary approach.
Mr Malone interjected.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Mirani. That is the third time.
Mr WETTENHALL: That is why the protection of riparian vegetation achieved through the moratorium in this legislation is so important. Last year I was invited by Terrain NRM based in Innisfail in North Queensland, whose work I highly respect and commend to all members to examine, to participate in an aerial survey of some of the reef catchments in the Wet Tropics. The member for Hinchinbrook was also a participant in that aerial survey.

What it demonstrated, without question and very, very graphically, was the damage that had been done by clearing riparian vegetation right up to the very banks of our streams and rivers which flow into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Many of them are in a very, very poor state. We must protect the riparian vegetation that remains. This moratorium will achieve that. It will achieve that in a fair and equitable way because it provides for a period of consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including farmers, so that we can achieve the best possible outcome through the best possible methods of reducing the run-off of land based pollutants into the Great Barrier Reef.

Why is this so important? It is important for our lifestyle; it is important for our economy; it is important for the intrinsic value of the World Heritage area in our reef and Wet Tropics. What do the scientists also tell us? They tell us that our Great Barrier Reef is susceptible to the effects of climate change. Whilst it may be many, many years before the various proposed schemes are in place, including
the proposed carbon pollution reduction scheme which will reduce the greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere, we do know that there are things that we can do now to improve the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef to the effects of climate change.

First among those is to reduce the pollutants that are running off into our reef, and that is one of the key objectives of this legislation. No landholder, whether it be a landholder owning their asset in freehold or leasehold, has absolute rights to do as they please. In the course of this debate there have been some very intemperate remarks and observations made.

Of course there is concern in affected communities amongst affected landholders about this legislation. All of us realise and acknowledge that. That is why, during the course of the moratorium, a concerted effort will be made to consult with them to settle upon a fair, equitable and
effective way of implementing these important reforms.

Like all alterations to rights and responsibilities, it is to be expected that this will demonstrate robust debate, in particular in this House. Some of the more intemperate remarks have been very, very unhelpful.

What we all need to do in this place is to recognise the threats imposed by climate change, work towards achieving solutions that help all Queenslanders by helping farmers adapt their farming practices in consequence of the climate change that we know is happening and to protect our priceless assets that generate so much economic activity and prosperity in our state through the tourism industry.

This legislation is about balancing rights. It is timely. It is not, as has been suggested, the product of grubby deals. It is a serious attempt to come to terms with some major threats to our environment and to our biodiversity.

I fully support it and commend the bill to the House.